


The Proposal

by Havepenwillimagine (starchan007)



Series: Handle With Care [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 23:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4199157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchan007/pseuds/Havepenwillimagine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quick one shot of Jean's proposal to Armin from the Handle With Care 'verse</p><p>Note: you don't have to have read Handle With Care to enjoy this fic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Proposal

“What about that one?” Jean asked, pointing a ring in the case. Marco wrinkled his freckled nose. 

“It’s too fancy,” he said. 

“Too fancy?” Jean repeated. Marco nodded. 

“Armin won’t like it if it’s too fancy. I think he’s afraid of fancy things,” the boy announced. 

Jean snorted. Well, the kid probably wasn’t wrong. Jean still remembered how uncomfortable Armin had been the first time he’d gotten a suit, or the look on his face when he had unwrapped the customized leather laptop bag that Marco had given him last Christmas to accompany his shiny new laptop. But still….too fancy for a wedding ring? Jean supposed he ought to listen to Marco. After all, besides him, Marco probably knew him best. 

“Alright, well, which one do you like then?” 

Marco considered for a moment and then looked back up at him, frowning. 

“I like them all,” he admitted.

Jean laughed.

“Okay, but which one for Armin?” 

Marco turned back to the case as Jean kept looking as well. His eyes landed on one and he drew Marco’s attention to it. It was simple; a black band with a thin strip of silver cutting across it diagonally and three small diamonds set into it. There would be no missing it on Armin’s pale fingers. Everyone who got a glimpse of his hand would know he was taken. Jean kind of liked the thought of that. And for as much as Marco thought Armin would shy away from anything he deemed too fancy, Jean wanted to put more than a plain gold or silver band on his finger.

It wasn’t about showing off or buying Armin the most expensive things he could get his hands on. He didn’t spend his money like a fiend, and Armin knew that. So he also wanted Armin to know that Jean thought he was worth the extra money. Most of all he just wanted to give him something he’d like, something he’d be proud to show all of his friends. Jean wondered if he was really still thinking about the ring.

“I like it. I think it’s the perfect amount of fancy,” Marco declared. Jean asked the jeweler to take it out of the case so they could get a better look at it. Up close Jean liked it even more.

“What do you think champ? This one?” he asked. The eight-year old nodded and that settled it.

“Now remember, this is just between you and me, right?” he asked as they got back in the car a bit later and Jean drove him back to school for the rest of the afternoon. Marco nodded and then frowned.

“Hey dad?” he asked, almost hesitantly. 

“Hey Marco?” Jean replied with a grin to try and make him smile. It didn’t work.

“Remember….when I first called you dad? And you got angry because you thought I only did it because I wanted Armin to be my dad too?” he asked. 

Jean frowned and looked at him. Of course he remembered that. He had long since gotten over the hurt it had caused, but he’d never forget it; that was the first time he realized just how badly he wanted to be called by that title. 

“Yeah, I remember,” he said. 

“If you…if you get married, can I call him dad too?” Marco asked almost hesitantly. 

“Marco, Armin has been your dad just as much if not more than me since he got here. I’m not going to be upset with you if you call him that. He deserves that, I think,” Jean said. 

“Really?” Marco asked, sounding surprised. Jean tried not to read too much into that. 

“Yeah, really. Just do me a favor?” he asked as he pulled into the parking lot. Marco looked at him. 

“Don’t do it until after I propose. I don’t want him to get suspicious,” he said. 

His tone was light, but he hoped Marco knew he was serious. He had put a lot of thought into how he was going to propose. Going to a fancy restaurant was too cliché, and it wasn’t something Armin would want anyways. Not that his boyfriend didn’t enjoy being wined and dined on occasion, but somehow Jean was sure that wasn’t where he’d want to be asked a question that would change both their lives. Besides, Armin’s cooking had improved so much since he started that Jean preferred staying home most days anyways. Then he could watch Armin in the kitchen and fantasize about bending him over the kitchen counter and having his way with him. 

Instead Jean had decided that he wanted to do something that Armin would remember forever. But that left him with another problem; he didn’t want to do something so out of the ordinary that Armin would suspect. Though, maybe he just wouldn’t. Even after all their time together Armin had never mentioned the subject of marriage. Jean didn’t have any misgivings that it was because he didn’t _want_ to be married to him. There were always vague mentions of ‘someday’ or ‘after we retire’, things that implied a long future together. 

No, Jean knew that what was between he and Armin was forever and the thought of that made him…well, he didn’t even know how it made him feel sometimes. Overwhelmed was probably a good word. Not in the bad way, but Jean had never expected – no, he had never even _wanted_ this. And now he couldn’t imagine a life without Marco and without Armin. And maybe Armin had never mentioned marriage, but Jean wanted it, because he wanted to give Armin something real, something tangible that said, “this is the man I’m going to spend my life with”. 

So he had thought, and thought, and thought about what would be the perfect place to propose; some place that Armin would remember, but that wasn’t over the to, some place that would mean something to them but wouldn’t raise Armin’s suspicions. It didn’t take him too long to come up with the perfect place. He and Armin had already had a date night planned for the upcoming Saturday, so Jean knew that would be the best opportunity. He knew Armin thought they were going out, but Jean had other ideas. 

Armin was in the living room working on his manuscript when Jean got home while Marco did his homework in the kitchen, waiting for someone to drive him to Bailey’s house for the evening. Jean leaned over and pecked him on the cheek and Armin smiled up at him. 

“Welcome home,” he said. 

Jean looked at him for a moment and then kissed him again. Armin didn’t complain. 

“Did you figure out where you wanted to go tonight?” he asked when Jean had pulled away. 

“Actually, I had something else in mind,” Jean admitted. 

Armin raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah…do you think you could take Marco over to Bailey’s while I get ready?” he asked.

Armin shrugged. 

“Sure…as long as you’re no planning something ridiculous like waiting naked for me on the couch again,” he said. Jean snorted. 

“No, I learned my lesson, thanks,” he said in mock irritation. 

Jean had tried that once, but Armin – who had no idea what was waiting for him – had gotten a call from Bailey’s mother saying that Bailey had started throwing up and that it would be best if Marco stayed home and had had no choice but to drive them both back. Needless to say, his father lying naked on the couch was _not_ something Marco ever wanted to see again. 

“Alright, I’ll have him go get his things then,” Armin said, getting up and collecting Marco before heading out. 

The minute he was gone Jean sprang into action. He had finally decided that going out anywhere wouldn’t do their relationship justice. Instead he had spent the afternoon at work preparing a scavenger hunt – between doing meaningful work of course – that would require Armin to decipher clues from his favorite books and eventually lead him to the diner where they had gone on their first date. So perhaps that was moderately cliché as well, but it wasn’t the sort of place that Armin would be expecting to get a marriage proposal, Jean was sure of that. 

As soon as he had set everything up – including leaving a note with instructions on the counter for Armin to see when he got back – Jean got changed and then caught a taxi down to the restaurant where he planned to wait for Armin to come meet him. As he sat there, sipping water and fiddling with the velvet box in his pocket, he almost wished he had cameras installed in the apartment so he could watch Armin as he went around solving the clues. He didn’t know how long it would take him, so all he could do was wait. Finally Armin pushed the door open and when his eyes met Jean’s they were shining with amusement. 

“When the heck did you get the time to plan all that?” he asked, grinning as he sat down across from Jean. Jean shrugged. 

“I have my ways,” he said mysteriously. Armin rolled his eyes. 

“You put a lot of thought into that,” he said. Jean shrugged again. 

“It wasn’t that big a deal. I just wanted you to have some fun,” he said. “Wish I could’ve watched you do it though…I didn’t think of that till I got here,” he admitted somewhat wistfully. 

Armin’s smile widened. 

“Don’t worry. I carried my phone around with me and recorded it. I figured you’d want to watch it later,” he said. 

Jean stared at him and then his face broke out into a grin. 

“You’re amazing,” he said earnestly. 

Armin laughed. 

“I try.” 

They both ordered and as they got closer and closer to the end of their meal Jean knew he would have to act soon and hoped he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. There was no way Armin would say no…would he? Of course not. And that wasn’t just Jean’s ego saying that. They loved each other. Jean reminded himself of that, and it gave him courage. 

“Hey Armin, you know I love you right?” he asked. 

Armin looked at him, popping a milkshake dipped French fry into his mouth. He nodded. 

“Of course I know that,” he said with a slight laugh. 

“Then….you’d understand if I said I never wanted to lose you, right? And if I said I wanted to spend every minute of the rest of my life with you?” he asked.

Armin swallowed but didn’t speak. He was staring at Jean with intently. Finally he nodded and Jean took that as his cue to move from his seat in the booth to a knee before Armin, pulling the box from his pocket and flipping it open.

“Then will you marry me, Armin?” 

Armin stared at him, silent and wide-eyed, but for some reason Jean wasn’t worried. Armin hadn’t said anything yet, but Jean could see that look in his eyes and knew he was just trying to come up with something to say. Finally the blond just nodded, too overwhelmed for words it seemed. Jean’s grin was wide and brilliant as he took the ring out and slipped it onto Armin’s finger. He was right; it looked beautiful against his skin. There were hoots and hollers and clapping around them but Jean hardly noticed. He moved to get to his feet and then Armin launched himself from his seat, flinging himself into Jean’s arms and burying his face into his shirt. 

“I love you,” he heard him murmur. 

Jean smiled against his hair. 

“I love you too Armin,” he replied, feeling like the luckiest man on the planet.

**Author's Note:**

> As I said before, I felt that Handle With Care ended in the right place, but I did have an anonymous fan request Jean's proposal to Armin, so here it is! Apparently it's becoming a habit of mine to do bonus chapters from the other character's perspective, so we'll see if that continues in the future. As always, thanks for reading!


End file.
